Fullerton's major campaign donor fined $9,500

A political donor who contributed more than $300,000 to local elections during the past year and once ran a contentious political blog said he paid a $9,500 fine imposed by the Fair Political Practices Commission for filing financial statements late four times in 2012.

Tony Bushala, 54, funded a political-action committee that spent thousands on the November campaigns of then-City Council incumbents Travis Kiger and Bruce Whitaker. Whitaker won re-election while Kiger fell short by 29 votes.

Less than six months earlier, Bushala spent $300,000, almost single-handedly funding the successful recall of three councilmen.

Each PAC had two late filings.

State law requires individuals or political-action committees contributing more than $1,000 to campaigns to file pre-election statements at specified intervals, City Clerk Lucinda Williams said.

"All of my personal contributions had been reported timely and fully reported by the two committees that I supported," Bushala said Tuesday. "At the time, I was unaware that an additional filing was required to report as a major donor."

"I agreed not to fight, pay the fine and be done with it," he said.

The fine stems from an October complaint to the commission by Larry Bennett, a former Fullerton planning commissioner who spearheaded the campaign opposing the recall.

"The decision to fine Tony is appropriate," Bennett said.

In 2008, Bushala started the blog Friends For Fullerton's Future, which launched personal attacks on his political adversaries. Critics have said the blog was vicious.